Hell & Back (Outbreak Task Force)

by Julie Rowe

  She groaned, and after a second it turned into words. “So…good. Fuck me, please? I need it.”

  She tried to wiggle and rock her hips, but he held her still. Fuck, he loved the need and frustration stamped on her face, loved knowing he was about to blow her mind.

  “You’ll take me when and how I say,” he growled. “I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll never, ever leave me out of something important again.”

  Her breath caught and she looked at him, her eyes dazed, and he lost it.

  He pulled out then plunged back in hard.

  She threw her head back as he did it again, and again, and again. Her whole body shook, and she called out his name right before she screamed.

  Her muscles worked him, and it felt so fucking fantastic he fucked her even harder, his own release taking him over, shooting up his spine like nothing he could ever remember feeling.

  Ruby was shaking, tears running down her face, and her breath hitched as he pulled out of her. He settled on the nearest bench with her in his lap.

  She buried her face against his shoulder and sniffled a little.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, quietly.

  “You destroyed me,” she said, her voice wet. Another shiver rocked her. She lifted her face and gave him a tremulous smile. “I loved it.”

  A part of him he hadn’t realized he’d been holding at rigid attention relaxed. He hadn’t been particularly gentle at the end.

  She snuggled up to him again. “I’m sorry.”

  The haze of primal need and desire cleared a little from his head. Partially replaced by the heat of anger at what he’d initially thought was a betrayal. For a moment, what she did had upended his world. He’d thought she’d used him, fooled him from the moment she started working for the CDC.

  Then, when he realized she was as much a victim as her brother was of the terrorists and she’d planned to deal with the situation alone, he’d managed to regain some rational control of himself. If there was one thing he understood, it was self-sacrifice. And now he knew how the survivors of his unit felt—sick at the realization someone else was willing to die to protect them.

  He still didn’t like it. “Don’t do it again.”

  “Maybe if I put one of those tracking devices on my brother I won’t have to.”

  “Speaking of which, get dressed. We need to decide what we’re going to do about your brother, and I want to check to make sure we’re still secure down here.”

  Her gaze turned worried. “You think they might try to get inside the building?”

  “That’s the only play left to them. Or a complete retreat, but I don’t think they’ll back off. They’ve escalated their engagement. They’re no longer attacking from a distance.” He sighed. It had been a while since he’d had to think in purely strategic terms, and if he’d been alone, he’d be confident in his situation. Having Ruby with him changed everything.

  If she got hurt… His pulse jumped, and adrenaline rushed into his system as if he’d been shot.

  No, he couldn’t let that thought exist in his head. “I think I can get a hold of DS without alerting our terrorist friends that their plan is blown.”

  “How?”

  “Code word.”

  “A code word?” One eyebrow rose. “Who knows this code?”

  “Me, Dozer, River, DS, and I think Dr. Rodrigues.”

  “That’s a lot of people.”

  “No, and it’s only one word.”

  “Okay, then.” She waved one hand in a get-on-with-it gesture. Shaking her head, she gathered up her clothes and put them on. He did the same, though all he had to do was get rid of the condom and pull his pants up.

  She watched him for a moment, her gaze caught on his hands. “It doesn’t bother me, you know.”

  He focused on her face. “What?”

  “Your prosthetic.”

  He froze for not quite a second then continued dressing, pulling his shirt on without looking at her.

  He’d had other women say that to him, only to find out it wasn’t true. It didn’t bother them until they got up close and personal with the fact he was missing most of one leg. Then it bothered them plenty. It’s why he hadn’t taken his pants off. Keeping them on but out of the way allowed them both to pretend he was as whole as the next guy.

  She didn’t wait for a response as she untangled her pants and underwear and got them on. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her while she slid on her bra then her shirt.

  He didn’t speak until she was completely dressed. “I’ve had a couple of women react badly to the prosthetic,” he said. “They thought I just had a leg injury. They didn’t realize I was short one.”

  Anger lit up her eyes. “You do just have a leg injury.”

  He raised an eyebrow. He was missing a piece of himself, and that wasn’t just anything.

  Something in his expression must have communicated his disbelief, because she marched up to him and poked him in the chest with one finger. “You sacrificed a part of your body in the service of your country.” She sucked in a tear-soaked breath—he could hear it clogging up her voice box, but she cleared it and pressed on. “That makes you a hero. Someone amazing, and sexy as hell. If they were too blind to see that when they looked at you, that’s their loss.”

  She meant it, practically vibrated with it, and he couldn’t help smiling. “Sexy, huh?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, or don’t you remember me begging shamelessly for an introduction to the monster cock you somehow manage to keep contained in your pants?”

  He burst out laughing. “The things that fall out of your mouth never cease to surprise me.”

  “Me, too,” she said and dropped her gaze.

  Nope, that wouldn’t do. He cupped her face and coaxed her chin up. Her eyes were clear and just a little sad, but her mouth, plump from his earlier kisses, was too sweet to ignore. He kissed her, soft and gentle, which made her eyes go wide, then he let her go and pulled out his phone.

  He tapped in a number, then waited.

  “Hi, Richard,” he said, his tone light. He paused. “Are those sirens I hear in the background?”

  “When are there no sirens?” the old man asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice. “Nothing to worry about. No one has even tried to shoot me today. I’m starting to feel left out.”

  Okay, so DS got the message Henry and Ruby were in trouble, but nothing was obvious at the main building. “If you need something to do, Ruby and I could use some food.” Henry cleared his throat. “I brought enough for a day, but we’re going to be here longer than I thought. Would you mind bringing us enough for a couple of meals?”

  “MREs or you want me to grab you some real food?”

  “Real food would be outstanding.”

  “ASAP?”

  He paused. “Yeah, sooner rather than later would be good.” He met Ruby’s gaze as he said, “I’ve been told hangry is a thing.”

  “Keep your tighty-whities on, boy. I’ll be over shortly.”

  He ended the call and put the phone in his pocket. “That should bring us some help.”

  “Who’s Richard?”

  “DS. It’s his real name, and we’re only allowed to use it when shit is hitting the fan.” He waved a hand at her. “Come on. I need to check the monitors in the security office. I wouldn’t put it past these guys to be outside waiting for you, or waiting for their own chance to get in here.”

  Help was coming, but he was certain the terrorists hadn’t been idle.

  Her face had paled. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Nothing at the moment,” he replied, his come-follow-me gesture more urgent. “Besides, you and I are sticking together for the duration. No more side trips alone. No more secret conversations. They would have killed you if you’d gotten out of here with any kind o
f sample and tried to exchange it for your brother.”

  She froze, staring at him, and what little color remaining in her face drained away.

  What the hell was going through her brain? “Ruby?” He said her name, keeping his tone soft. She’d been under a lot of stress in the past twelve to eighteen hours. Had she reached her breaking point?

  He took a step toward her, and she suddenly sucked in a breath.

  “Sorry.” She waved a vague gesture at her head. “Still processing…everything.” She glanced at the section of wall he’d braced himself on while he was fucking her.

  He followed her gaze. Yeah, too much stress in too small a time frame. She was right; she did need to process everything, get it straight in her head. Especially the part about how he wasn’t going to let her go lone wolf on him and try to stop the bad guys all by herself.

  He stopped and waited for her to join him, studying her face for some trace of calm.

  She met his gaze for a fraction of a second before looking away. A blush made its way up her face, fighting the confusion that had killed it only seconds ago.

  Her vision became unfocused, and he put out a hand to grab her shoulder.

  She blinked, sucked in a breath, gave him a weak smile, then straightened her shoulders. “I’m ready.”

  He led the way out of the room and into the hallway. She followed about a step behind him. They were almost to the elevator when her phone rang.

  She glanced at the screen. “I don’t recognize this number.”

  Henry stopped and turned. Could be the kidnappers. Good. He needed more intel on these bastards. “Go ahead,” he said calmly. “Answer it.”

  Holding the phone so they could both hear the caller, she hit accept and said in a shaky voice, “Hello.”

  “Hey, sis.” A man’s voice, and from Ruby’s hopeful intake of breath, her brother. His voice didn’t sound stressed, which could be a good sign or mean nothing at all.

  It took her a moment to get her breathing back under control, but the rest of her body remained tense and ready for a fight. “Are you calling to tell me where to take the sample?”

  “Nope. I got away from those assholes.”

  Score.

  “You got away?” It came out of her throat in a squeak, and her eyes filled with tears. She closed her mouth as those tears overflowed and ran down her face. She put a hand over her eyes and shook her head.

  Henry gently took her phone and put the call on speaker. “Are you okay? Do you need assistance?”

  “Who’s this?” Ruby’s brother sounded a little suspicious.

  “Henry Lee. I’m your sister’s partner at the CDC.”

  A couple of seconds passed. “I’m fine, mostly,” her brother finally said. “I’ve got a couple of bumps and bruises from the explosion, but otherwise okay.”

  “It’s you, Nate, so of course there was an explosion.” She said it like it was a forgone, but not all that welcome, conclusion.

  “Yeah, I picked the lock on my handcuffs and mixed a couple of industrial cleaners together. People shouldn’t store that stuff all in the same room. It’s a fire hazard.”

  “No shit,” Henry said, shaking his head. He had to give it to the guy for being resourceful.

  “Nate,” Ruby said, putting some emphasis into her voice. “Did they hurt you?”

  “One guy tried, but I don’t think he expected me to be able to fight. Then the building exploded and a piece of steel rebar destroyed the back half of his skull. Problem over.”

  The guy’s tone was so blasé, Henry had to hold in a laugh.

  “The problem isn’t over,” she said, urgency raising the pitch of her voice. “These people have tentacles all over the place. You need to get away from there and somewhere safe.”

  “There are cops all over the place here now. Isn’t that good enough?”

  “No,” Henry told him. “Call this number and tell the old grump who answers who you are and who your sister is. He’ll arrange for safe transport.”

  “He’s talking about Sensei Drill Sergeant,” Ruby said.

  “Oh sure. I’ll call him next. You’re sure you’re okay and safe?”

  “Henry has the safety stuff covered. And Nate, don’t be fooled. Henry wasn’t making a suggestion, it’s an order.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll call Sensei and I’ll get myself kidnapped again, but by the right people this time.”

  “This isn’t a joke, Nate.”

  Her brother snorted. “I think it’s a riot. Talk to you soon.” He ended the call.

  “Well,” Henry said. “That was surprisingly good news.”

  Ruby burst into tears.

  Ah, fuck.

  He wrapped his arms around her, and she let him hold her for a moment, but only a moment before she sniffed and stifled her emotions. He could practically see her slide a bar of mental steel down her spine.

  “Sorry,” she said, using the bottom of her shirt to wipe her face. “Too many feels in too short a time.”

  He didn’t want to, but he let her go and frowned at her. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

  The sound that came out of her throat was a cross between a laugh and a sob. “Of course I’m not okay, but I can’t do anything about everything that’s happened right now, can I?”

  He stared at her, trying to understand, but not really getting there. Food would help, and he had plenty. “Come on, let’s go up a floor and find something to eat while we’re checking the perimeter and waiting for DS to get here. I wouldn’t want you to get hangry again.”

  She glared at him, her lips pressed tightly together. “Fine. That might help.”

  He took her by the hand, got on the elevator, and Henry used his retina scan to unlock the control panel so they could go up.

  The door slid open, and they went to the panic room first so he could grab them some granola bars and a bottle of water each.

  In the security office, Henry sat on the chair closest to the monitors while she sat on the other chair near the door. They both started eating, though Ruby’s mouth was twisted in distaste.

  He was about to ask if she wanted a different flavor when something on one of the monitors caught her attention. She stilled and stared.

  He’d been busy looking at her, but he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see what was going on.

  The cameras facing the security checkpoint showed a vehicle stopped and one of the guards talking to the driver outside the booth.

  The guard jerked, once, twice, three times, then collapsed on the ground.

  “Shit.” Henry hadn’t meant to say anything, but it slipped out.

  “Did he just get shot?” Ruby asked, her voice small and watery again. “Is he…dead?”

  Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the building as a barrier rose from the pavement. Made of rubber-shredding, jagged points of steel, the barricade was designed to stop most vehicles.

  The driver thrust an AR-style rifle out of his window and fired into the guard shack.

  Another man down.

  Hot acid welled up from the bottom of his gut, and he had to swallow it down.

  They were under attack, and he’d be damned if he allowed them to succeed in whatever stupidity they had planned.

  He pulled out his cell phone and called DS again, no longer caring if anyone was listening in on the call. On the monitor, the vehicle backed up a couple of car lengths then rammed the spikes. The tires burst, but the damn thing forced its way past them. Someone had powered up that SUV big-time.

  As soon as DS picked up, Henry started talking. “Shit is hitting the fan. Both guards at the first checkpoint are dead, and at least one vehicle got through. If they get past the next barrier, I won’t have any choice but to lock the building down.”

  “I’
m five minutes away,” DS barked, “with a couple of your favorite assholes who know one end of a rifle from another.”

  Soldiers—River and Smoke.

  A second vehicle arrived at the shack, larger and quasi-military; this one didn’t even slow down. It shoved the guard shack over then partially crushed it as it rolled over it and into the secure area.

  Where the hell had they gotten a Guardian armored security vehicle from? That thing was designed to be resistant to small arms fire, and it carried not only grenade launchers but a 0.50 Browning heavy machine gun.

  “They’ve got a Guardian ASV, and it’s coming in hot. No choice now. I’m locking us down.”

  “Nate?” Ruby asked.

  Henry glanced at her, gave her a short nod, then put the phone on speaker. “Where’s Ruby’s brother?”

  “Sitting in the backseat with one of the armed assholes.”

  Ruby’s mouth dropped open.

  She leaned closer to the phone. “Why is he with you?”

  “Because he wouldn’t get out of the damned vehicle,” DS said, sounding testy. “He’s more stubborn than an entire platoon of newbies on their first day of basic training. Stupider, too. He’s going to pay for not following orders when I see him next in the dojo. I’ll call when we get there.” The line went dead.

  On the monitors, the first vehicle made it to the entrance, but it didn’t stop there—it pulled up several feet past it.

  Giving the Guardian ASV enough room to use its guns to blow its way in.

  They probably thought it would work—fire a couple of grenades and…boom. Maybe they’d only seen the old specs for their security measures on the level four lab. Maybe they hadn’t seen the new specs or didn’t believe the security upgrades were done.

  Didn’t matter. They were wrong.

  Henry hurried over to one of the consoles. He lifted the cover of a button and hit it. A second later, the first alarm stopped and a second, different alarm began to peal. A woman’s calm voice came over the PA system. Alert, alert, security lockdown alpha initiated.

  Twice more, the alarm was repeated, then it went silent.

  A rumble vibrated through the building, going on for one…two…three seconds, then ending in a thud that made his ears pop.